The day she told me how her dad
had tried to sell her
How tiny was his house,
and how sad the story of his mom being tricked away
The day I found out
he was suicidal,
and homicidal
His story--the teacher beating him on the head in grade 4
Telling him off for his dad's odd and irritating behaviour
I Remember
The walk to that village
So many times
Each time not quite sure of the way
But sniffing it out
More than the walk
The people in that home
A rare place that treated me as 'normal'
Let me sit up there in the loft above the pigs
Chopping the feed
While we chatted
The walk away from the village
With another woman
Her analogy
Rain "like diarrhea" that day :o)
Making vegetable tofu
EATING that tofu
(Even if I stayed,
those memories are long in the past,
an era gone by)
I Remember
A me that was young and idealistic
Brimming with enthusiasm
And energy
I Remember
The man left by the river
I had to try to help
Because earlier
Someone else
I hadn't
And he died
I Remember
Jack's older brother
How wrong it was
That he died that day
On the bus, halfway home
Hearing there had been an explosion
And some of my students lost their fathers
I Remember
Things shared in grief groups
The stories of pain
The times it was the first time
They had had a chance to grieve
The day I was concerned about all the pain
But then asked
And remembered
No, this is good
Very good
I Remember
This thought trail will continue
And I will keep remembering
Until I remember no more.
I wonder what new memories
will be created
in decades to come
